He did love his sister. He’d loved his sire until he’d abandoned him, unwilling to accept Glenna. It still stung that his sire had been right. He’d seen Glenna’s black soul from the beginning.
His heart threatened to choke him because he had no idea if he’d been wrong to follow his gut, but something had told him Glenna was involved in Bethia’s kidnapping. He had another bad feeling about the silence in the castle, as if no one was here. He wished he’d brought his dogs with him, but after realizing how long the journey would be, he’d sent them home out of worry for Wynda.
A sound carried through the night. Cairnie Castle did not have a large village the way Ramsay Castle did. There were three cottages behind the castle for the servants, and one on the opposite side for the steward of the property.
He crept around the outside of the castle and heard sounds inside the closest cottage, the one for the steward. It was a woman’s voice.
Glenna.
He didn’t wait. He burst into the cottage and took her by surprise. However, she didn’t look disappointed—a sick smile stretched across her face at the sight of him. He scanned the cottage for any sign of Bethia, but she didn’t appear to be there. There was a table and chairs, one pallet on the floor and two trunks on either side. A hearth waited at the farthest end of the chamber.
“Donnan, I’ve been expecting you.”
“Where’s Bethia?”
“She is well hidden. As soon as I gain your agreement, I’ll tell you where to find her.” She sat down at the table and drummed her fingers on the top. “Well? What is your answer?”
“Agreement to what?” he ground out.
“I’ve already told you, and I think you should know by now that I don’t give up. I don’t just want money from you, you see, I wish to be a countess. A countess. The same thing I’ve always wanted. With coin and jewels at my fingertips.” She held her hand up in the air, wiggling her fingers for drama. “Why is that so hard, Donnan? You accept your inheritance, we move into Cairnie Castle, you give me unlimited access to your funds, and I become the Countess of Cairnie Castle.”
“It is difficult because I do not want that life. And because I love Bethia. She has a bigger heart than anyone I know…”
“And a bigger arse…”
He stormed across the cottage, giving her no opportunity to finish her sentence. “Do not disparage her. She is as beautiful as any lass I’ve ever known, and even more beautiful on the inside than she is on the outside.”
“Go ahead. Choke me. Kill me as you did our son.”
Donnan stepped back, but he refused to sit, choosing instead to pace. His nervousness about Bethia—was she hale? Had Glenna hurt her?—had steadily grown on his journey to the castle. Now it was even keener, because he’d realized his worst fear was true.
Glenna was daft.
***
Bethia listened from inside the crate where she was imprisoned, struggling against her bindings and the horrid-tasting gag in her mouth. If she could just manage to make some noise, Donnan would know she was here.
Then the words she heard made her freeze.
Donnan loved her.
True, he’d told her so before, but a part of her had wondered if he was being truthful. The other lads who’d pursued her seemed to have ulterior motives for doing so. Bothan, mayhap because she was Torrian’s sister and Quade’s daughter, and Henson had his mind on her breasts. Some fear had told her that mayhap Donnan, sweet, handsome Donnan, had his own secret reasons for pursuing her. Now she knew his love was true. She blinked back the tears that threatened to drench her cheeks, not wanting to cry in such close surroundings.
She listened to more.
“Glenna, why would you choose to live with me again?”
“Why not? We got along fine until we ran out of coin.” Bethia could just imagine Glenna’s terrible beauty, her eyes alight with madness. “Do you not think my hands should be covered with jewels? Rubies…rubies were always my favorite.”
Donnan had to make her see reason. He had to calm her down enough for them to escape this situation with their lives. “We never got along once we lost Donnie. I couldn’t live with the guilt. There are many times I have considered taking my own life.”
Bethia gasped at this admission. How his heart must have ached after losing his son. He was not the type to commit such an act unless driven by a grief so powerful, so consuming that he believed it was his only escape.
How terrible for anyone to feel such pain.
Glenna’s cold voice interrupted her thoughts. “Please do the deed after you claim your inheritance. Then the castle will be mine as your widow.”
“Nay, ‘twill be my sister’s. I have written a will denouncing you and leaving the property to my sister.”
Bethia did not hear any response to Donnan’s revelation. Glenna had to be carefully considering her next words. She heard the shuffling of feet.
“Och, Donnan. Please do not take your own life. I would feel responsible.”
Silence again. Glenna had to be attempting to use her wiles on Donnan.
Donnan huffed. “I do not believe you. Why would you suddenly take on any responsibility? ‘Tis not your way.”
She heard footsteps move away from her, then back toward her, then away from her again.
“Why do you pace? What is it you’re not telling me, Glenna? I know you wish me to be unburdened of any connection to me—beyond my inheritance—but why hurt Bethia? Could you live with the guilt of two deaths on your conscience?”
Glenna’s voice came out as a shriek and Bethia could almost see the sick fury in her eyes. “For heaven’s sake, Donnan. Stop with your self-righteous behavior. I cannot kill you—and you cannot kill yourself—until you change the will.”
“And why should I do that?”
“Because I wish to be the countess.”
“Nay, I’ll not do that. My sister deserves to be in the castle. She and her husband have taken good care of it. Where are they?”
“They were sent away. Change your will.”
Silence hung in the cottage for a moment before he said, “Free Bethia and I’ll agree. You can have whatever you want as long as you promise not to hurt her.”
“Fine, I’ll free her, but you must promise to change the will…and you cannot leave me. You must stay by my side. To prove I have a generous heart, I’ll even allow you to bring Bethia with you. You may sleep in her bed every night as long as you give me what I want.”
“Free Bethia and I’ll move into the foolish castle with you. I’ll accept you as my wife in name, but I’ll not subject her to you. I’d prefer to see her happy.”
His voice grew louder and louder, and her heart ached at the pain he was going through. At the sacrifices he was willing to make for her.
“But know this. Every day we live together, I’ll be reminded of my guilt in causing Donnie’s death. Seeing you will remind me. Do you know how many days that thought has been the first in my mind when I awaken? Every day, the first thing that I think of is Donnie. A son. I had a son.” He paused. “Free Bethia, and I’ll live with you, but do not expect us to get along. Or for me to bear the pain forever. But I’ll do my best to make sure you have enough coin first, you shallow bitch.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll admit it. You never killed Donnie. I did. I was sick of his screaming and crying and dirty raggies, and I’d had enough. I never wanted him. Never wanted to be tied to you. I just wanted the title and your money.”
Bethia stopped breathing. Had she heard Glenna correctly? Was she capable of such a fiendish act? Killing her own bairn? But if she spoke the truth, it also meant that Donnan had not done it. She’d killed her own flesh and blood and allowed another to bear the burden of it.
Donnan’s voice came out in a whisper. “What did you do, Glenna?”
Glenna continued to shout. “I killed the screaming brat. When you fell asleep, he started to cry again, so I took the coverlet and covered his nose and mouth. I did it. I cou
ld not tolerate listening to him anymore.”
“You killed him? You killed our son and made me believe I did it? All these years I’ve suffered the burden of guilt for no reason?”
Bethia heard the movement of feet, indicating he was moving toward Glenna.
“I would wake up from nightmares of Donnie staring at me with his eyes open, unable to breathe. Do you know how many nights I had that same dream? Do you? You cold-hearted bitch.”
Silence.
“I’d like to choke all the air out of you the way you did my son. Where. Is. Bethia?” Donnan’s tone made her shiver.
Silence reigned again.
A loud banging followed, Bethia guessed he’d slammed his fists on a piece of furniture, or mayhap the wall.
Bethia thought she would vomit. How she wished to wrap her arms around Donnan to help him through this horror. No matter what, she had to stop him from hurting Glenna. Donnan’s gentle soul would never be able to live with such an act, despite all the woman had done to ruin him.
Bethia rocked her body in the crate, sobbing and crying for the man she loved, knowing she would do anything for him.
“What the hell? That trunk is moving.”
“Stay back, Donnan. You have to agree. You promised me.”
“I promised you nothing unless you freed Bethia, and you have not.”
She heard the sound of someone shrieking, then a slight thud—as if a slender body had fallen a slight distance—and then the top of the trunk finally opened. Ah, Glenna had tried to shield the trunk with her body, and Donnan had not allowed it.
Bethia squinted at the light from the candles, still crying from what she’d just learned. Donnan smiled at the sight of her, but it did naught to banish the pain from his eyes. The door opened, and they both turned to watch Glenna leave.
After he yanked the cloth out of her mouth, he reached in to cup her cheek. “Bethia? You are hale?”
She nodded, unable to make her jaw work enough to speak. He helped her sit up, then lifted her out of her prison as though she weighed nothing more than a feather in the breeze. He sat in the nearest chair and settled her on his lap, fumbling with the ties that bound her hands and feet.
When she finally could speak, she whispered, “Donnan, your son. I’m so sorry.”
He cupped her face and kissed her lips, then kissed each tear that had managed to slide down her cheek. “Hush. Please do not speak of it yet. I’m numb. But know that I love you and I must get you out of here safely.”
She could see the tears on his face. Had she ever seen a man cry so openly? “I love you. I’ll help you through this.” She gripped his shoulders, wanting to do something to ease his pain, but she also recognized the peril they were in had not yet abated. “Where do you think she went?”
He swiped at his tears and helped her to her feet. “Can you stand? I’m sure your legs are tight from the confinement.”
She managed to bear her weight, clutching his arm as if she never wanted to let him go.
The door burst open, and three unknown guards stood blocking the door, two with daggers and the other with a sword. “Bearchun wants you both.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Bearchun rubbed his scar again.
Today was the day he’d finish it. He’d make them all appreciate him, regret their taunting. He’d show them all who was the strongest, the mightiest of all the warriors. Wee Jennet had the power to bring back his aversion to blood, but she was tied up, unable to work her magic. He wouldn’t faint this eve. He was sure of it.
He stepped out of the cottage and gathered his soldiers.
“Here is the plan. I want Logan Ramsay. We have his daughter and two of his nieces. I will bring him to his knees before I kill him. I’m leaving two of you here to guard the lassies. Do not move until I call you out to the front of the gates.” He pointed to the grouping on the other side of the castle. “The beauty of this set-up is they will not be able to see you, but you’ll be able to hear everything we say.
A man armed with a bow and arrow stood in front of him. “Where do you want me?” Earc asked. “Let me kill one of them, please? I want them so bad I can taste it.”
Earc had been one of Ranulf’s associates, and he, too, had a bitter taste in his mouth about the Ramsays. They’d ended Ranulf’s quest for riches—which meant his followers had found themselves poverty stricken.
Bearchun grasped his shoulder and said, “Relax. You’ll have the pleasure of taking Logan’s niece out. The big one.”
Earc smiled, pleased with his assignment.
“When Logan arrives, I’m going to challenge him to a fist fight. I can’t beat the man with a sword, and I don’t dare choose a bow, but he’s old. I can easily take him with my fists. I want to see his face up close as he watches his loved ones die. So I’m going to fight him for a few punches, then Earc—” he pointed to the smiling fool, “—you’re going to put an arrow in Bethia’s heart. When he sees that happen, he’ll be so upset that he won’t be able to fight, and I’ll easily beat him to the ground.
“Once I have him down, I’ll whistle for you two to bring the wee lassies over, and I’ll torture his daughter in front of him. Whoever does the best job gets to kill the witch after we’ve finished him.”
“What about the rest of the Ramsay guards? They’ll kill you before any of that happens.”
“If they don’t know where the two wee ones are, they’ll not touch me. I’ll make sure the lassies are well hidden before I show my face. And when Logan and the Ramsay brats are all dead, Glenna says she’ll get Donnan to fall into line. She’ll let us into Cairnie Castle, and we’ll lock the gates and use it as a fortress. Then her work is done and we agree to keep her involvement secret. As for the Ramsays, they’ll be too stunned to stop us. Earc will be up in the trees, picking off any Ramsay guards who dare approach us. Once Bethia is dead, you can kill as many as you want, Earc.”
Earc asked, “How will I know when you want me to kill Bethia?”
“I’ll run my hand through my hair like this.” He demonstrated the movement to Earc. “That’s the signal to put an arrow through her heart.”
Glenna came flying toward them, her movements frantic. “He found her,” she shouted. “Kill her. You have to kill her, or I’ll not get Donnan to comply.” She stopped directly in front of him to make this statement.
Bearchun said, “Calm down. I have everything planned. But ‘tis not yet time.”
“Do it now. I told you when we met that you’d not push my wishes aside. I’ve given you everything you needed: information on how to kidnap the Ramsays, a place to hide after you’ve killed them, even four more men. You couldn’t have done this without me. I expect you to do as you promised me in Edinburgh.”
“Aye, I will. I’ll kill Donnan and you can be countess.”
“Nay, the agreement was you’d follow my instructions and act as my enforcer. Now I want you to keep him alive and kill her. He changed his will, so he’s of no use to me dead. You have to help me.”
He nodded. “Aye, but we do it my way. Understood?”
“Agreed. Now how do I protect myself?”
“Here—” he handed her a dagger, “—keep this with you in case something happens. Are you sure we can get inside the castle after all is over?”
“Aye, if the gates are locked, I know where the tunnel is. Everything else is already locked to outsiders.”
“Where is Donnan’s sister?”
“She and her husband traveled to Edinburgh to plead with the king, taking many of the servants with them. She hopes to find Donnan there, also. Once they left, my guards sent the rest away.”
A guard raced over to them on his horse. “Ramsay plaids have been sighted.”
“Can you tell which ones?” Bearchun asked.
“Aye. Logan and the laird are in the lead.”
Bearchun smiled. “Perfect. Go to your spots and be ready.”
“What about me?” Glenna asked.
“Yo
u hide in the bushes. I’ll send guards over to bring Bethia to us. What about Donnan?”
Glenna snorted. “He’s a mess. He’ll go along with Bethia. But you must keep him alive.”
Bearchun said, “Good. Our time is here. Go to your assignments.”
***
Bethia held onto Donnan with a death grip while he tried his best to reason with their captors. How she wished he hadn’t caught the injury to his side. Uninjured, he could have taken all three guards, but she could feel the weakness in his body creeping up on him.
“I’ll go to Bearchun willingly if you’ll set the lady free. I’ll give Glenna whatever she wishes. ‘Tis no place for a lady in the middle of the night.”
“Shut your mouth and keep moving. Bearchun wants the both of you, he does. You’ll do exactly as he says.”
They moved to the front of the castle, outside the open gates. Bethia could feel her legs giving out, but Donnan braced her against him. It was a comfort that he was with her, though now that they were in front of the castle, several other guards milled about, all armed.
She didn’t see Glenna, but it wasn’t long before her gaze found Bearchun’s. A shiver ran all the way through her body.
He smiled and headed straight for them. As soon as he was close, Donnan said, “Let her go. I’ll stay in her place. I’m the new Earl of Panmure. I’ll give you and Glenna whatever coin you want. Just let her go.”
Bearchun chortled. His finger ran down the side of Bethia’s face, and Donnan shoved it away. “If ‘tis not the gracious Bethia Ramsay, daughter of the old laird, sister to the new one. The verra Ramsay who allowed me to steal her sister and cousin away without a word. Although I must admit, you are one of the nicer ones, even if you are too large for my taste.”
Bethia did her best to ignore his taunts. “What do you want?”
“Och, you are a bit bolder than you were before, aye? You’ll see what I want. ‘Tis quite simple. I wish to bring your uncle to his knees. He’s the one who ruined my hopes of becoming a great warrior. He’s the one who allowed your sister to play the witch, casting a spell over me.”
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